October 13, 2009

Periodically I attempt to summarize the contents of this blog. Since there has been some recent interest in the concept developed at the blog, perhaps it is a good time to explain how I got to this point. This may help readers to better understand the concept.

In the early 90's I became concerned with the sprawling development that was occurring in Boise, Idaho. I formed a non-profit group that attempted to educate the public on alternatives to sprawl -- namely New Urbanism aka Traditional Neighborhood Development. I continued to be an advocate for New Urbanism through 1998 and used my position as an institutional real estate investment manager to promote the same. However, I came to realize that the issue of sustainability involved much more than shifting from suburbia to urbia. Exposure to books like Limits to Growth and follow-up books caused me to realize that substantial changes had to be made in order to pull out of Overshoot. Indeed, we have to come up with a system that cuts our energy and resource use by as much as 90%.

It soon became clear that we had to have a massive shift upward in personal development in order to correct our course. The best guide to understanding personal development that I found was Spiral Dynamics. Over time I came to realize that it is essential to drop the ego and understand non-duality -- a position that is consistent with science. While saints and sages associated with all of the major religions throughout the last 2500 years have recognized that this is the way to enlightenment, it has not been introduced in a comprehensive way to a majority of the population.

I also came to realize that our education systems encourage us to be specialists who consequently do not understand the entire system. This has caused us to be complacent about our predicament. My conclusion with respect to religion and education is that we have to begin to educate young people as early as the age of eight in how to think rationally and how to think in terms of systems.

Lastly, I have come to the conclusion that credit is the source of most of our problems. It has literally encouraged us to borrow against the future. While groups like the Peterson Institute have done a good job of attempting to educate the public with respect to the federal deficit, they have not put forth a comprehensive vision of how we need to transition to a credit-free society.

Whether the label was club, university, or bank, the general theme of the blog has been that we have to learn and live in a completely different way from that which got us to this point. The theme has also been that the for-profit/non-profit system that currently dominates all that we do is not working.

And now to the concept of MindfulWorldBank.org. Essentially, we need to expand capitalism to everyone -- not just the top 5% or so. Mindful World Bank tm would own high-quality assets and depositors would own the bank. Rather than paying a landlord, residents would deposit funds in an account at Mindful World Bank tm; thereby building equity rather than throwing money away. Administration would be handled by volunteers, rather than by executives/bureaucrats. Eventually, the entire MWB infrastructure would look something similar to a health spa with paths rather than streets. Cars might still be in our future but would not dominate the landscape and our lives as they do today. Rather than sit behind desks and in front of computers, we could all be gardeners, gourmet chefs, bicycle mechanics, yoga instructors, or be occupied by some other meaningful work.

It should be noted that this concept is related to the work of recent Nobel recipients Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson. It addresses the commons in a comprehensive way as well as providing a new organizational structure that is designed to bring out the best in all those who live, work, and invest in the system. While it is exciting to see their work recognized, it would be more exciting to see it put into practice.

A new organization such as this can be developed from the ground up or with assistance of a wealthy patron. Please help market the concept. Questions are encouraged.

July 03, 2009

Those who are mindful are beginning to realize that only an entirely
new operating system can prevent the collapse of civilization. However,
to date, no one has presented such a system. This presentation outlines
a system that has the potential to serve as a viable replacement for
the current paradigm.

January 01, 2009

Many of us will find that our retirement savings will be substantially eroded. From an organic standpoint, this was to be expected. In nature, it is only prudent to store enough to get through the winter season. Our retirement plans assumed that we could store up decades worth of "nuts" and this is just plain nuts in an organic or natural world -- the world that we will revert to either willingly or unwillingly. Bottom line is that most of us will be working for much of the rest of our lives. Depending on how we structure this work, it can either be pleasant or a hellish experience.

Most of us will not be able to pay for expensive college educations for our children. "Higher" education will have to be restructured and it's about time.

We will be forced to transition away from an energy-intensive lifestyle to one that uses less energy. This will mean smaller and more energy efficient living quarters. It also means that big, inefficient homes will decline -- yes, even further -- in value.

We will shift from an emphasis on financial engineering to sustainable development engineering.

Currently, we are all scrambling to make a living. This scrambling makes it difficult to be bodhisattva-like. We can transition to a system that encourages us to find right livelihoods.

Independence will mean being near our food sources and possibly having our own paradise -- a walled garden.

It makes sense to integrate education, work, and leisure in a comprehensive institution/system that also integrates Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Where would you rather have your wealth stored? In a fund in which the principles have multiple houses and a big office or in an asset-backed account that is administered by a group of independent scholars that have taken an implicit vow of non-accumulation and sustainable living?

A fitting "post"script:

Right living is no longer the fulfillment of an ethical or religious
demand. For the first time in history the Physical survival of the
human race depends on a radical change of the human heart. However, a
change of the human heart is possible only to the extent that drastic
economic and social changes occur that give the human heart the chance
for change and the courage and the vision to achieve it. [p.9&10]